A Magical Huffalump Resides Here: February 2019

A Magical Huffalump Resides Here

My name is Ed, I am a programmer. Just another dude with another blog. I like MTG, Open Source (more towards FREE software). I like sports, and eventually I hope to do business and do good for the world in general. This blog is gonna be about Magic The Gathering. Decklists and snippets will be posted here. It may lead somewhere or nowhere, as with all things arcane, that was bloody obvious =)

Tuesday, February 05, 2019

The lowest denominator

Never underestimate stupidity.

Thats a mantra i hold in my everyday life. I accept people for who they are but unless i know more about them and am reasonably confident of them, i do not rely on them to do the right thing. And definitely they are not the measure by which i make my decisions, my decisions are meant to work despite of them.

Magic has been infuriating for a long time. Its hard for me not to feel vindictive and har har at all those baying for banning for cards that they do not like. Magic has finally made a tweak for a new low ( or high in terms of simplfication/dummification) in pushing for BO1 in Arena. Now don't get me wrong i love Arena and I support BO1. Because the principles are correct. When i first started sideboards infuriate me. I did not understand why could we not just play the 75 cards as a deck, and i still do. Face it. BO1 is just a different format, it is simpler to understand, but the meta is harder. It is a different game (in the sense that duels are different games from highlander and really pauper, standard, modern are really all different games).

Arena is really introducing a Magic that is simpler for those not familiar with the game. For those saying those "new" players should learn the rules. Its really the same as asking those who could not follow KCI (seriously...) to learn the rules. The result is the rules were too difficult and in general KCI was killed. The masses hated it and wizards pandered to the masses. People, becareful what you wish for because Wizards in implementing and pushing for the masses  is doing exactly that in pushing for Arena. Same for when they killed Eldrazi, eggs and the latest KCI. It just so happens that the common denominator has lowered.

And for the record i do enjoy Arena, in a sense i have joined the masses. For better or for worse, i tire of the constant simplification and dumbing down of the game in other formats. So much so that a game there is the same as a game in Arena. I enjoy the fact that i no longer need to consider the format toomuch and just wing games with much less time invested. Yes i am copping out, but you see, the same happened to me when i was with the other formats, where literally archtypes are hated for being supposedly non-interactive because my opponent is too dumb ro build against it, where LD was neutered for being "unfun" again because my opponent is too dumb to face me by building his deck to defeat LD, or counterspells because players feel negatively about them instead of just building or playing around them. Eldrazi winter was the funnest period of modern for me. It was the first time people had to innovate and think of how to defeat the beast. Sure people will say the data, but that is misinformation. The problem with Eldrazi winter was that wizard really released a pillar in the format. Not a deck or an archtype, but a whole friggin pillar. Hence Eldrazi was difficult to pin down, because they came in many forms, attacked in different ways. But because they all used some form of Eldrazi, they were lumped as Eldrazi decks. Anyways that party had to end, luckily it ended with a combo deck mowing down 3 eldrazi decks (sounds familiar ....KCI? Heh). Yet at that time no one baying for blood recognised that Eldrazi could be contained. The vocal group was not interested in defeating it, only for its banning.

Arena is not really like a ban, but kinda in a reverse way, since it is a format with the simplification built in. I feel less appalled by it (as opposed to some ban simplifying the game) as it does not threaten current gameplay and is actually quite fun.

If you feel that Arena is dumbing down and takes something away form you (since it is something wizards is pushing for competitively as the mainstream). Let me just say i understand how you feel, it sucks to be you. But you really just need to embrace it, just like i embraced the evolution/dumbing down of magic all these years.

To the thought that magic has 20 years of history and complexity that makes it a great game? That same complexity was treated as a dumpster fire in the KCI banning. And the game is still alive *gasp*

Enjoy magic as it comes people.

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Sunday, February 03, 2019

Modern rant 20190202

One of the worst things that wotc could have done is to kill KCI outright. No doubt it was a little strong, but is a combo deck not allowed to dominate? Thing is it is consistent, and has placed but it is hardly a combo winter, it is just spiking once in a while and in fact the phoenix deck mowed through two KCI? The last win was a cop out since the KCI player had to leave.

One might argue that KCI is overpowered and the only reason thw Phoenix deck won is that it too was overpowered.

Therein lies the rub. When does it end? We just keep banning ? Which is fine really the more things change, the more they stay the same 😅😅😅 if you have followed my post from the past, i have predicted that modern is a format of flux, with frequent bannings to facilitate the flux and maintanence of some ideal (as opposed to letting the meta find itself).

Which is kinda awesome I guess 😅😅😅

Saturday, February 02, 2019

Commander 2013

CNY clearing, found mtg, magic the gathering commander 2013!! Power Hungry and Evasive Maneuvers are unopened, but the box has some tears (can see in the photo). Eternal Bargain and Nature of the Beast are open, but everything is inside and sleeved (i must have done it halfway in 2013 ðŸ˜…😅😅) i don't know where is Mind Seize.... will update this post if I ever find it 






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